There are few places as special as Cloud Nine, Aspen Highlands’ midmountain Alpine bistro. It’s a slice of Europe, and it may just be the best restaurant in the valley. (Which, considering the valley, is high praise indeed.) In the dead of winter, as snow piles high around the windows, locals gather around the fire to sip gluevine and dry out their boots. In the spring, people kick back on the deck, sipping wines from the ice bar dug in the snowbank. It’s open to the public for dinner Thursday night, accessible via snowcat. Standouts from chef Andreas Fischbacher’s menu include raclette,elk ragout, grilled lamb marsala and pheasant sausage, stuffed with gruyere, wrapped in pancetta. 970-923-8715